FORGET the SETI hunt for aliens, a team of scientists are bringing the hunt for UFOs a bit closer to home.

The UFODATA group is crowd funding because governments will not fund the researchA
team of scientists and other experts have set up UFODATA to seriously
investigate Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) seen on Earth and beyond.

The www.ufodata.net website, which is seeking backing through crowd-funding websites, wants the subject to be taken seriously.

Mainstream
scientists are involved in the Search for Intelligent Extraterrestrial
Life Institute (SETI), with looks light years into the cosmos searching
for any frequencies coming from alien technologies, but have
historically been reluctant to embrace the issue of flying saucer and
other UFO sightings.

GETTY

The truth (might be) out there"This is now possible for
the first time in the history of UFO research as a result of an
unprecedented convergence of high resolution digital camera
technologies, off-the shelf scientific instrumentation, powerful
low-cost computing platforms, and ubiquitous high-speedinternet access."

The
website says: "Our goal is to exploit this technological convergence by
building a large network of automated surveillance stations with
sophisticated sensors that will monitor the skies 24/7 looking for
aerial anomalies.

"After over two years of developing our ideas,
making plans, and testing relevant technologies we are now ready to move
into the next phase – a ‘proof of concept’ by developing our first
working prototype of a fully functioning monitoring station."

The
monitoring station will, according to the group, have cameras capable of
detecting and recording both an image and spectra, a magnetic sensing
unit, instruments to detect microwave and other radiation, and other
sensors to record atmospheric and local environmental data.

Alarm triggers will also initiate recording by all the equipment, permitting
"capture of a broad range of physical data that can then be analysed by
experts."

UFODDATA claims this is because of the black and white divide between
believers and non believers and lack of moderate middle ground.

A group spokesman said: "At UFODATA we seek to create a systematic, rigorous science of UFO phenomena.

"Such a science is needed because of misplaced certainties on both sides of the UFO debate.

"Believers 9are) convinced that UFOs are extraterrestrials, and sceptics (are) equally convinced that UFOs do not even exist.

"Our
own view is that humanity knows very little about the true nature of
unexplained UFO reports, and that the only way to resolve this lack of
understanding is through serious scientific study."

The group led
by Mark Rodeghier, scientific director and president of the J. Allen
Hynek Center for UFO Studies, in Chicago, USA, and Alexander Wendt,
professor of Political Science at the Ohio State University, claims technology is now so advanced and available to the masses, the skies can be scoured night and day all year.

Such a science is needed because of misplaced certainties on
both sides of the UFO debate: “believers” convinced that UFOs are
extraterrestrials, and “skeptics” equally convinced that UFOs do not
even exist.

UFODATA

The spokesman added: "This is now
possible for the first time in the history of UFO research as a result
of an unprecedented convergence of high resolution digital camera
technologies, off-the shelf scientific instrumentation, powerful
low-cost computing platforms, and ubiquitous high-speed internet access.

"At UFODATA we seek to create a systematic, rigorous science of UFO phenomena.

"Such a science is needed because of misplaced certainties on both sides of the UFO debate :
“believers” convinced that UFOs are extraterrestrials, and “skeptics”
equally convinced that UFOs do not even exist. Our own view is that
humanity knows very little about the true nature of unexplained UFO
reports, and that the only way to resolve this lack of understanding is
through serious scientific study.